


Great Minds

by Kare



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, I just don't want to spoil what Bucky is nervous about, I promise, M/M, and happy, great minds, great minds think alike, though you can probably guess from the summary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 22:09:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15277221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kare/pseuds/Kare
Summary: Steve carries something, that is proverbially burning a hole through his jeans pocket.From the look of it, he won't be needing it today.Then again... maybe he does.





	Great Minds

They were currently visiting the aquarium on Coney Island.

 

And while Steve was enjoying himself, Bucky was slowly but surely closing himself off.

 

Whether that was due to all the people, the darkness, the screaming children or the buggy that had been rammed into Bucky’s heels three times in less then four minutes or just all of that… didn’t really matter.

 

For all the plans Steve had made for that day, it became quickly apparent that they should have just stayed in bed.

 

And despite Steve honest fascination at seeing a ray or shark that close, Bucky would always come first.

 

So Steve already made plans to skip the live show.

 

“You know, I think I saw a candy stall when we got here. How about an apple covered in sugar, with sugar and sugar sprinkles on top?” If anything Bucky turned even paler. “Nat also said good things about a Russian restaurant that’s supposed to be around here.”

 

All Steve got was a curt shake of Bucky’s head.

 

And if Bucky turned down food, things really were spiraling out of control.

 

So Steve found them a more or less quiet corner - which meant that people were only pressing past them once every half second instead of every heartbeat - and tried his best to calm Bucky down. “I know I said you don’t have to tell me things.” To which Bucky just huffed, because Steve usually wormed an answer out of him anyway. “But if you are not feeling well, we can just go home, build another pillow fort. And I will hold you till whatever this is goes away or you are comfortable enough to tell me. All you have to do is to nod.”

 

Steve saw those incredibly huge eyes, that meant that Bucky wanted to agree, but would probably not allow himself to. So Steve already calculated the shortest way between here and their home.

 

After another half minute Bucky asked ever so timidly if maybe they could go to the beach instead.

 

Of course they could.

 

While it was not exactly empty, the first bite of autumn in the air meant that they were able to move without bumping into people… or being scowled at for keeping their clothes on.

 

And while it did help with Bucky’s complexion, he became even more introvert.

 

Steve hooked his right pinkie around Bucky’s left and tried to wait things out. Maybe watching the waves and listening to the breeze would help to smooth things over.

 

But Steve also knew that there was a limited time in which they could still turn around and make it home before Bucky descended into a full blown panic attack.

 

Which was why Steve tried to ease his own anxiety, since his own fretting would do nothing to ease Bucky’s mood.

 

As the waves kept rolling at them, Steve could see out of the corner of his eyes that Bucky was trying to form words that just would not come.

 

“Start with one word, Bucky. Just one. We’ll take it from there.” But the words still refused to come and Steve could tell that Bucky was getting more and more frustrated with himself. Which made Steve wonder… they rarely touched in public. They just were not raised that way. What they did in their own home was a different matter. But right now… he was very much tempted to just hug this out, paparazzis be damned.

 

And for all the things Steve did worry about, what happened next actually caught him of guard.

 

One moment he wondered how to calm Bucky. The next moment Bucky had taken off his dog tags, maneuvered them around on his metal hand, which for the moment seemed to be the most steady part of Bucky’s body, gone down on one knee and looked at Steve like a man dying of thirst might eye a glass of water that is just out of reach.

 

And Steve did spot the plain silver band that rested directly between both of Bucky’s tags. Just as Bucky registered the moment understanding bloomed on Steve’s face.

 

Somehow Bucky sounded even more desperate then he looked. “I had this whole damn speech worked out. But I am just too fucking nervous. Will you just marry me, Steve? _Please_? _”_

 

It was that ‘please’ that did Steve in. It was not just a plea for marriage. It was a plea to do something to righten Bucky’s world. So Steve drew that piece of carefully folded paper out of his pocket, went down on one knee as well and tried to sound a lot calmer then he felt: “There is nothing to be nervous about. I made up my mind years ago. I am yours… if you will have me.”

 

And it did unhinge Bucky’s jaw. Because when he did manage to fold that piece of paper apart, there was a gold ring, just the right size and with a number of small diamonds strewn around the entire length of the band. It looked… unlike anything Bucky would have expected.

 

Which might be the main reason why Steve went on to explain: “I know you would probably prefer silver or platinum. And I am willing to get you a ring of your own choosing It's just... I know I told you how hard it was to get mom’s ring back. And when I finally had it, it had gone through so many hands… it suddenly felt meaningless. So I found a goldsmith and told him to rework it. This was the best he could come up with. And I want you to have this, regardless of whether you decide to wear it or not.”

 

Bucky toppled them over into the cold wet sand, very much not crying, because Bucky wasn't sappy like that, but also unwilling to stop pressing his head against Steve’s chest.

 

It does take them a good 20 minutes till Steve has a new silver band on his left hand, Bucky has his dog tags back around his neck and a not exactly new gold band on his right hand, just because he doesn’t want to damage it with his metal hand, and not… say… because that is the hand where a wedding band is supposed to go and Bucky might be ever so slightly impatient.

 

But they remained sitting on the sand, just because.

 

Just because it allowed them to lean onto each other without it being too obvious.

 

Just because they are unlikely to catch a cold anymore, so who cares?

 

And because Bucky still doesn’t feel like eating. At least not food.

 

Which means that, yes, Steve does take them home and they do spend the rest of the day in bed. The pillow fort is optional.

**Author's Note:**

> This absolutely refused to be written.  
> You have no idea how often I had to start again, because those two idiots refused to even leave the house, much less fret about anything.
> 
> Also:  
> this idea is shamelessly stolen from the Internet:  
> https://mymodernmet.com/double-proposal-video/  
> Our favorite two idiots would manage to do that, too...


End file.
